Do you really drive off-road?

[MichaelF]

Hey everyone, I know that there's a lot of people touting how great the off-road/snow handling is for the cross country, and I'm wondering how many people actually take their $30,000+ station wagon out for a romp in the "mud?"  I've been considering it, but I've been very afraid of looking like  a fool and/or getting stuck.

Would love to hear what you guys have run into and whether everyone's just using it as possible or if there are some that are driving off-road more seriously.

Thanks!

Michael

[Hiro's XC]

You have seen the Volvo shot of the car in the mud right? I have been in that kind of soup.  http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif   Way to much fun! It took 4 hours with a pressue washer and some ramps to get the car clean......Totaly worth it! It bogged down a few times but just powered out of the slop. My buddy with the LR Disco II got stuck in the same bog. Welll.......his tires were real bad. Good thing he has a winch!.

Jason.

[coastal]

We've been on a number of roads that are not doable in your typical car, but nothing too too serious.

Was tempted to trying some mild Oregon sand dune action when we were down there in 2001, but chickened out, didn't want to get stuck, THEN look like a fool. This pic was as deep as we got http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

http://www.v70xc.com/pics/coastal/cali-road-trip/018-oregon-sand-dunes.jpg

Following pic doesn't do the road justice, but there's no way a normal car would have ever cleaned the section leading to this river bed. The TJ had to strategize his path too..

[Big]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (MichaelF @ Jan. 02 2003,15:58)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hey everyone, I know that there&#39;s a lot of people touting how great the off-road/snow handling is for the cross country, and I&#39;m wondering how many people actually take their &#036;30,000+ station wagon out for a romp in the &quot;mud?&quot;[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I don&#39;t have any mud shots--didn&#39;t want to get out of the car&#33;--but here are some typical desert &amp; mountain scenes with our 2000 XC. The mountain shot doesn&#39;t show the track but it&#39;s similar to the foreground. The desert shot is about the roughest I&#39;ll take the XC on. Your newer XC should be more capable. The car&#39;s limitations are tires, clearance, gearing, and protection. Driven carefully it can go 90 percent of the places that our jeeps used to take us and is infinitely more comfortable on the road.

I have a Volvo engine protector that is well-used and which is the only off-road accessory they offer. I&#39;m lusting after an XC90 but the only advantage it has over the XC70 is clearance; too bad they don&#39;t offer a low 1st gear for hills, or at least a hill-descent mode like many other car-based SUVs.

At 6000 feet:
http://idisk.mac.com/main_street/Public/xc-2.jpg

A typical desert track... yes, the car is green&#33;:
http://idisk.mac.com/main_street/Public/xc-1.jpg

[Stu in Oregon]

I don&#39;t have any pics (I keep buying bamboo fly rods instead of a good digital camera) but I regularly take both our XCs down maintained and semi-maintained dirt roads for my fly fishing. I also drive through lots of snow crossing the Cascades to our little get away spot in central Oregon. It is about the same type of stuff that is posted in the pics above. No serious off-roading, but far more comfortably done in the Volvo than my old FJ-62 Land Cruiser and F 350 Diesel 4x4. The furthest I have ventured in the XCs on dirt and rock is 24 miles roundtrip down the lower Deschutes River access road. I have made light contact several times on the engine/transaxle skid plate with no damage. It is well built and designed. Worth the money IMHO. The XC is rather well suited to regular light duty off pavement driving, but not beyond that level.

[budrichard]

My buddy can always tell when I&#39;m up at his place by the scrapes made by the engine protector of my 99XC on the rutted lanes&#33; I go thru brush(sounds horrible but does not affect the paint) mud and snow with NO problems and mostly leave my Jeep Cherokee behind. Only problem is out in harvested corn fields where the 6&quot; stalks make a symphony with the under carraige. Will remedy that by the 03 XC I am taking delivery on Wednesday. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif -Dick

[mox575]

Had a bit of an experience the other day after some snow melted. Took the old girl up a slightly inclined ,slimy as snot, dirt road. Could feel it slipping and shifting power on the way up. Got to a point where I decided it was time to turn around. The road had quite a crown to it and made making a U-turn a bit more difficult. I turned to the right and was nearing the edge of the road when she began to slide. There was a three foot high burm that would have scratched the side of the wagon had I hit it. I felt the tires sink as I got close. I figured it was time to crank the wheel and punch it....Mud flying everywhere, she immediately grabbed and sent me back onto the crown of the road. The only problem now was, I was sliding back the other way. Here we go again, cranked the wheel back to the left and gased it and got it back straight.

The road was very similiar to driving on ice. The only difference was when I punched it, I could get some traction.

Definitely got the heart pumping. Didn&#39;t want to be out standing in the mud. The XC didn&#39;t let me down.. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/hehe.gif

Lance

[rkestner]

we live on the north side of a mountain at 7k feet. &nbsp;the last 3/4 mile is gravel/dirt and includes some 15% grades. &nbsp;every day is an off road day, and in the winter it is even more fun. &nbsp;look for pictures soon of this winter&#39;s first snow.